Intro to Science Terms Flashcards
bias
a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment or prejudice
accuracy
how close a measurement is to the true accepted value
conclusion
a summary of what you have learned from an experiment
controlled experiment
an experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time
cultural bias
an outlook influenced by the beliefs, social forms, and traits of a group
curiosity
an attitude that is based on wondering or wanting to know more about something
data
facts, figures, and other evidence gathered through observations
deductive reasoning
a way to explain things by starting with a general idea and then applying the ideas to a specific observation
density
the measurement of how much mass of a substance is contained
engineering
the application of science to satisfy needs or solve problems
estimate
an approximation of a number based on reasonable assumptions
ethics
the rules that enable people to know right from wrong
experimental bias
a mistake in the design of an experiment that makes a particular result more likely
feedback
output that changes a system or allows the system to adjust itself
field
any area outside of the laboratory
hypothesis
a possible explanation for a set of observations
inductive reasoning
using specific observations to make generalizations
input
material, energy, or information that goes into a system
International Systems of Units
a system of units used by scientists to measure the properties of matter
making models
the process of creating representations of complex objects or processes
manipulated variable
the one factor that a scientist changes during and experiment;
also called the independent variable
mass
a measure of how much matter is in an object
matter
anything that has mass and takes up space
measurement
a figure or amount obtained by measuring
